Alma College forward Raeanna Zink drives to the basket for two of her 11 points in a 89-59 loss to Franklin College at home Friday, Dec. 21, 2013.

The growing pains continued for the Alma College women’s basketball program Friday afternoon.

Hosting Franklin (Ind.) College in non-conference action, second-half woes plagued the Scots once again as the Grizzlies rode a 56.1 percent shooting performance to a convincing 89-59 win.

The loss drops Alma College to 0-10 on the season with still two more non-conference games remaining before for the Scots dip back into conference play on Jan. 4.

With no seniors and with only three juniors on the roster, Alma College has had to grow up fast this year.

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“We are a young team without any seniors, but that’s not an excuse. I can see if I had a young team that was not skilled, but I have a young team that is skilled. We are just not playing at our potential right now,” said Alma College head coach Keisha Brown. “Being 0-10, I’m not happy about it at all. However, I’d rather be 0-10 right now because we’re going into conference. It gives us something to really realize how much harder we have to work and how much we have to bring that same intensity from practice to the floor. We have not been transitioning well from practice to the game. Once we do that, we’ll be fine.

“The good news is that we’re 0-10 at the beginning of the season, not 0-10 at the back of the season. I’m very hopeful and very confident with my team. I still believe in them that they’ll finish the season very strong.”

With a 41-27 lead at halftime, the Grizzlies (4-6) went on a 17-9 run over the opening seven and a half minutes of the second half, taking a 58-36 lead with 12:22 on an old-fashioned three-point play by Nichole Thompson. Alma College would get no closer than 19 points down the stretch.

The second half has been a concern for the Scots over the first two months of the season. The Scots were outscored 48-32 over the final 20 minutes of play Friday.

“That’s where that youthfulness comes into play. You’ve got to learn how to play through those bad moments because basketball is a game of spurts, so we’re learning how to do that. The girls have to continue to believe and just grind out there,” Brown said. “Basketball is a fast-paced game and with the new rule changes, you can’t allow yourself to get caught up in a foul or no foul call. I think when someone makes a run at us, we don’t make that run back and we just get discouraged.”

The Scots did take an early 5-4 lead with 17:48 remaining in the opening half behind a pair of makes at the charity stripe by Mallory Pruett. The junior would finish the day with a game-high 20 points and seven rebounds, connecting on 4-of-7 from long range. The lead that Pruett delivered would be the only lead of the day for Alma College, as Franklin College would go on a 10-1 run to take a 14-6 lead 13:22 remaining in the half.

Alma College managed to battle back and cut the deficit to five (19-14) when Pruett connected on a 3-pointer with 10:48 to go, but could get no closer than six down the stretch.

The Scots struggled Friday from the field, connecting on just 36.7 percent (22-60) and hitting just 29.2 percent (7-24) from the outside. Turnovers have been another aspect to the game that has proven a struggle this season. Alma College committed 23 turnovers, which led to 26 points for Franklin College. The Grizzlies also rode 45 bench points to secure the win. Mandy Fisher paced the Grizzlies with 17 points, while Sarah Taylor was the only player to post a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Besides Pruett, Raeanna Zink was the only other Scot in double figures, recording 11 points, five rebounds and two assists in the loss. Kassidi Adams also chipped in with nine, while Sacred Heart Academy graduate Erica Hansen had five points and a team-best seven boards.

Alma College will take the next week off for the Christmas holiday before traveling to Indiana for the Amy Hasbrook Memorial Tournament at No. 1-ranked DePauw University. The Scots open the four-team tournament with the hosts on Dec. 29. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m.

About the Author

Joe Buczek is the Alma College beat writer and prep sports writer covering the occasional CMU event at the Morning Sun. He is a broadcast and cinematic arts graduate of Central Michigan University. Reach the author at jbuczek@michigannewspapers.com
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